The artivism panel which featured five diverse speakers, touched on some very important issues in neoliberal universities, and neoliberal education. The topics discussed included educational freedom, where the Ontario College Strike was an example of overworked teachers, and an unjust educational system was exemplified. Other topics included contemporary movements such as #metoo and BLM TO, and ways that these movements are researched within the neoliberal universities, which was touched on by Sandra, as well as accessibility for people of colour who find themselves in an institution built for straight white males.
A common theme within these discussions was the fact that universities are not doing enough in terms of making education non neoliberal. Many issues still prevail, including professors who are not aware of social injustice, or who do not touch on issues such as gender representation, racism, and transphobia. Most universities are neoliberal because they simply care about money, and making sure students leave school with the right skill sets to land a job and make money. Instead, students should learn, and put what they learn out there, in order to create some change.
Audrey, who spoke about hip-hop culture, was a great example of taking education, and making it less about “getting a job”, or following conventional methods of teaching, and letting students creatively explore hip hop culture, which speaks particularly to people of colour.
Another great example is taking something like the #metoo movement and researching it, as Sandra mentioned. These are movements that happen right in our city, and yet our school feels so disconnected from it. The neoliberal education does not do a good job of making these issues known, but rather chooses to ignore things that happen right outside of their doors, and focuses instead on capital.
Overworking college teachers, is hazardous to education. No student wants to be taught by an educator who is overworked, tired, and stressed about making enough money to support themselves. What can a student really learn from such a teacher, that they cannot simply read on their own? It is important to take care of faculty members, so that they can have life and passion when they teach, and change the lives of their pupils.
I believe these activists are all trying to let social injustice issues be known and accessible through education. Education should be more than a guide on how to make money in the “real world”; it should be about making sure students can learn something and put it out there. For example, students can learn about the #metoo movement, and take that knowledge with them when they see their drunk friend getting harassed by a predator at a party. This creates change within society, and frees students as well as faculty from neoliberal education. As Tania Bruguera had mentioned in her interview, education should be free. It should not be about knowing how to get a good mark, graduate, and land a good job. It should spark movement, interest in social justice, and create change.